Tugboat MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with the Tugboat API.

Local serverstdioTypeScript

What is the Tugboat MCP server?

Most monitoring and observability work still happens through a UI a human drives. Tugboat MCP server moves it into the conversation instead. A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with the Tugboat API.

The short version

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with the Tugboat API. This server allows AI assistants like Claude to access and manipulate Tugboat resources through the standardized MCP interface.

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open protocol created by Anthropic that enables seamless integration between AI assistants and external data sources or tools. It provides a standardized way for AI models to:

  • Access Tugboat projects, previews, and repositories
  • Create, build, refresh, and delete previews
  • Search for Tugboat resources
  • View preview logs
  • Support for both stdio and HTTP transports
  • Authentication and authorization support

The tools it exposes

The server publishes 4 tools. What each one is for:

  • Configuration — The Configuration tool exposed by this server
  • Projects — The Projects tool exposed by this server
  • Previews — The Previews tool exposed by this server
  • Repositories — The Repositories tool exposed by this server

What it needs from you

Configuration is passed through the environment: TUGBOAT_API_KEY, TUGBOAT_API_URL. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.

Getting it running

Setup follows the usual MCP pattern — install or clone the server, register it in your client's configuration file, restart the client. The configuration blocks on this page cover the common clients.

How it compares

This sits in the monitoring and observability group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Tugboat's toolset — Configuration, Projects, Previews and 1 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by Lullabot; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Things to watch

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
ConfigurationThe Configuration tool exposed by this server.
ProjectsThe Projects tool exposed by this server.
PreviewsThe Previews tool exposed by this server.
RepositoriesThe Repositories tool exposed by this server.

How to install the Tugboat MCP server

{
     "mcpServers": {
       "tugboat-mcp": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["/path/to/tugboat-mcp/dist/index.js"],
         "env": {
           "TUGBOAT_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
         }
       }
     }
   }

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
TUGBOAT_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
TUGBOAT_API_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Tugboat to Configuration.
  • Use Tugboat to Projects.
  • Use Tugboat to Previews.

Frequently asked questions

You need a Tugboat API key set as the `TUGBOAT_API_KEY` environment variable. The server also requires Node.js and npm for installation.